Medical School
There are two medical schools in Hong Kong, run by the medical faculties of The University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Both of the faculties offer a 5-year undergraduate program and entry requires the completion of the HKALE or its equivalent (e.g. IB Diploma, GCE Advanced Level). However, following the introduction of the HKDSE (replacing the HKCEE and HKALE) in 2012, the 5-year program will be gradually phased out and replaced by a 6-year program.
Students who apply based on the strength of their local qualifications (i.e. HKALE, HKDSE) must do so through the JUPAS (Joint University Programmes Admissions System) exercise that takes place yearly. Those who possess non-local qualifications are referred to as non-JUPAS candidates; they may apply to the universities directly. The intake of each university has been about 160 in recent years. However, starting with 2012, the intake will increase to 210 and, in 2012 only, due to education reform in Hong Kong, there will be two cohorts, one in the traditional 5-year program and the other in the new 6-year program. This means that the total intake in that year will double to 420.
Admission to both schools is extremely competitive. For an idea of the applicants who are likely to be invited for interview, the CUHK Faculty of Medicine provides some useful information in their website. Over the past few years, there has been an increasing number of non-JUPAS applicants with an undergraduate or even a postgraduate degree. Due to keen competition, successful graduate applicants are of a very high calibre, with many graduating from top US colleges with an almost perfect GPA or from Oxbridge with a first-class honours degree in a relevant discipline.
In early years, theoretical domains of study predominate, with increasing clinical focus during the program. However, early clinical exposure — in which students commence clinical skills from very early in the course, concurrently with theoretical study — is a component of many degrees, most notably the graduate medical programs. Hong Kong University there has been a move away from the more traditional methods of teaching with a shift towards the Problem Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy.
After graduation medical students enter paid employment, but they are still a year away from obtaining full registration and obtaining their degrees During this year trainees are legally only able to work in certain highly supervised jobs (designated F1 jobs) and cannot legally practise independently.
Read more about this topic: Medical Education In Hong Kong
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